Bookshelf divider and holder



June 17, 1969 KENZO SAKAMOTO 3,450,268

BOOKSHELF DIVIDER AND HOLDER Filed Nov. 3, 1966 Fig.3.

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6,, MMM 351 MM June 1969 KENZO SAKAMOTQ BOOKSHELF DIVIDER AND HOLDER Filed Nov. 5, 1966 United States Patent 3,450,268 BOOKSHELF DIVIDER AND HOLDER Kenzo Sakamoto, 12 Nishi 2-chome, Hoshutsucho, Goto-ku, Osaka-shi, Japan Filed Nov. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 591,825 Int. Cl. A47b 65/00 US. Cl. 211-42 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A bookshelf divider and holder. A baseboard has a rib member extending therealong with a plurality of parallel vertical slots in the upper edge thereof. A plurality of brackets at one end pivotally mounted in respective slots so that when a book is positioned against the free end thereof, the bracket will be raised, and when the book is removed, the bracket will drop to a position where it will support books on either side of the removed book so that they will not fall over into the vacant space.

The present invention relates to a device for keeping books, and particularly account books, magazines, or other similar shaped articles, shelved in an orderly manner on bookshelves and preventing them from leaning or falling sideways so that those books or the like placed on the shelf will not become out of order.

The device of this invention can be utilized with any and all kinds of bookcases, document filing cases, libraries, and the like, and the present device is so adapted that, by using it, even if any one of a plurality of books in an orderly arrangement on a bookshelf is pulled out or picked up from any place thereon, the vacant space on the shelf where the said picked-up book has been is automatically partitioned off by rotatable brackets so that the books on either side of said vacant space will not fall or lean into said vacant space instantly but will remain unaffected and be kept upright and in order.

Hitherto, in the case of such a divider and holder of this kind, the shelf is usually provided with holding frames which are freely slidable sideways and pivotally mounted, whereby books on the shelf are held upright and in order. However, said holding frames must be manually moved every time a book or books are picked out and reshelved, so that the device is troublesome, in addition to the fact that the frames themselves are obstacles for the bookcase and the like, and therefore, it can not be said that such conventional holding partitions for books and the like on bookshelves are very useful in practice.

The present invention is free from such disadvantages as aforementioned and is capable of keeping the books divided automatically every time books on the shelf are picked out and reshelved.

Objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the further following description taken in connection with the appended drawings showing preferred embodiments thereof in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a divider and holder according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a left end view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the device of FIG. 1, showing the internal construction when a sliding plate for permitting mounting of the brackets is somewhat shifted laterally;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bracket forming part of the present device;

FIG. 5 is a top plan View of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the mounting of the device on the backboard of a bookcase or the like, showing how a book-like article (in chain lines) is held by the brackets;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, showing the present device mounted on a surface above the shelf of a bookcase or the like; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the present device mounted on a bookcase or the like, the sideboard of which is partly cut away.

The present invention will now be described as to the preferred embodiments in the following:

The device is composed of hard plastic or steel plates or other material shaped as follows: a fiat baseboard 1 for mounting the device has a longitudinally extending, forwardly projecting rib member 1'. The upper edge of rib member 1' is provided with a number of parallel vertical slots 2 extending perpendicularly to the length of rib member 1' and spaced from each other at predetermined, regular intervals. Each of said vertical slots has pivotally mounted thereon the root end of one of a plurality of brackets 3. Said brackets 3 are rotatable upwardly in said slots 3, and are positioned pectinately and in such a manner that the free ends of said brackets 3 automatically return to-their original positions even if said ends move upwardly.

In the present example, as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, for the purpose of pivotally mounting brackets 3 in said slots 2 of said mounting baseboard 1, the portions of the rib member 1' on opposite sides of each of said slots 2 are provided with holes 4. Each of said brackets 3 also has a hub 5, as is shown in FIG. 4, on the upper end of one end of said bracket 3 and offset from the center of gravity thereof and slightly protruding laterally on both sides of the bracket. Said hub 5 is loosely fitted into said mounting holes 4. In the assembly of the present device, to make the work easy, a longitudinal trapezoidal groove 9 is provided on the back surface of said baseboard 1 and slide 6 is slidably positioned in said groove 9. When the slide 6 is shifted in one direction as is shown in FIG. 3, the brackets 3 can be inserted into said slots 2 from the back side of said baseboard 1 and thereafter said slide 6 can be closed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the back of the baseboard 1 is attached to the inside surface of the backboard 7 of, for example, a bookcase. by screws or other means, and the brackets 3 which are pectinately positioned and projecting forwardly are positioned so as to be contacted by books, account books or the like 8 laid on the shelf of said bookcase.

FIG. 6 illustrates generally how the present device is used when it is mounted on the backboard of the bookcase. When a book or books 8 are shelved, the book or books will naturally touch the brackets 3 which are protruding from the back side of the bookcase so that said brackets 3 are pushed and revolve upwardly.

Thereupon, the brackets 3 on either side of those which have revolved upwardly, when no book or books 8 are present in front of the brackets 3 on either side or when such book or books have just been pulled out, will drop down and support the book 8 in position so as to prevent it from falling or leaning sideways.

Brackets 3 which have been revolved upwardly due to placing of a book or books 8 will when the book holding them up is pulled out of the bookcase, automatically return to their original positions and the brackets 3 will again like pectinately in order.

In this way, with the present invention, when books are taken out of a bookcase, library, or the like, from any part of the shelf thereof, there will be a vacant space only where the books have been taken out but the brackets 3 will automatically return from the raised position back to the original lowered positions and support the neighboring books so as not to allow them to fall or lean into the vacant space formed by the books taken out, so that books or the like in bookcases, libraries and the like may be kept positively upright and orderly. Therefore, because of this invention bookshelves can be kept in order at all times.

FIG. 7 is a schematic and illustrative view showing the case wherein the present device is attached to a bookcase or the like on the bottom surface of an overhead board 11 such as the next higher shelf. In this case, as has been described in the foregoing, when books 8 are taken 01f the shelf 10, the brackets 3 will drop down so as to prevent the books from falling down or leaning sideways. This mounting of the present device is especially convenient and therefore advantageous for books and the like of small sizes.

As has been explained in the foregoing, the present device is not only excellently useful but is also easily operatable with only a slight external force since no such thing as a spring is employed so that books and the like will not be damaged, in addition to the advantage that this can be employed and be very useful as well regardless of the size or thickness of books and the like to be shelved.

While particular embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described, modifications thereof, as aforementioned, will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A bookshelf divider and holder, comprising a baseboard having a longitudinally extending forwardly projecting rib member extending therealong, the upper edge of said rib member having a plurality of parallel vertical slots extending perpendicularly to the length of said rib member and spaced from each other along the length of the rib member, said rib member having apertures therein on opposite sides of each slot, a plurality of brackets each having one end pivotally mounted in respective slots and having the free ends thereof pivotable from a lowered forwardly projecting position to a raised position, said brackets each having a hub thereon projecting laterally on each side thereof and located on the end thereof pivoted in said slots with the ends of the hub rotatably positioned in said apertures, said hub being offset from the center of gravity of said bracket so that the bracket will automatically drop to the lowered position when it is not supported in the raised position.

2. A bookshelf divider as claimed in claim 1 in which said baseboard has a groove therein opening through the baseboard to expose said apertures, and a slide slidable in said groove, whereby said slide can be moved along said groove to give access to said apertures and slots in said rib member for insertion of said brackets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 481,505 8/1892 Muir 211-42 657,847 9/1900 Young 211-42 712,936 11/1902 Jones 211-184 2,972,421 2/1961 Prick 211-184 3,146,888 9/1964 Schaefer et al 211-43 FOREIGN PATENTS 283,000 5/ 1952 Switzerland.

552,167 1/1958 Canada.

794,035 4/ 1958 Great Britain.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 10860 

